The present application relates to an apparatus and method particularly adapted for the launching of a boat into the water, retrieving the boat out of the water, or both launching and retrieving the boat, as well as transporting the boat over a ground surface.
Smaller boats are commonly carried on boat trailers and are placed into the water or taken back out of the water generally by first finding a boat launching site where there is a slanting support surface (generally graveled or asphalt) which slopes downwardly into the body of water. The trailer is backed downwardly down the boat ramp to a depth where the boat is able to float. Then the boat is disconnected and moved away from the trailer, with the trailer then being pulled back out of the water. However, while this procedure is used quite commonly for smaller boats, it is for a variety of reasons it is used less frequently (if at all) for larger boats.
In a marina, boats of various sizes are taken out of the water for services, repair and/or storage, and at a later time are placed back into the water. A typical marina faces various challenges in having an efficient and cost effective operation. For example, the real-estate for a marina is generally at a premium, and thus the real-estate in storing the boats must be used efficiently. Further, the moving the boats into and out of the water, and into and out of storage spaces should be desirably be accomplished in the minimum amount of time. Also, there is the problem of what be termed xe2x80x9ctraffic congestionxe2x80x9d in moving a number of boats effectively.
It""s not surprising that the larger boats present challenges well beyond those that are faced with handling the smaller boats. To the best knowledge of the inventor herein, in most marinas the larger boats are usually launched into the water or taken out of the water by means of a lifting device (e.g. a hoist). Straps or other devices are placed around the boat hull, and these are engaged by the hoist to move the boat into or out of the water. With a relatively large boat (as long as forty or fifty feet), a rather large hoist is required. Again, to the best knowledge of the Applicant, it has not been practical to use the boat trailer for such large boats. Also, if trailers of sufficient size are used for the larger boats, there is the consideration of the mobility (i.e. the ability to effectively move such a large boat within the confines of a sometimes crowded marina boat storage area).
A search of the U.S. patent literature has revealed a number of patents relating to the launching and retrieval of boats into and from a body of water, and these are the following.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,823 (MacEachern), shows a trailer made up of two support structures, namely a rear support structure 18 made up of parallel beams, and a forward structure 20, these being rigidly connected to one another. At the forward end of the structure 20, there is a connection to what is called xe2x80x9ca self-propelled tug 14xe2x80x9d. The tug has forward steering wheels 64 which are stated to operate as a conventional steering mechanism, and at the rear of the tug 14 there is a universal connection which is controlled by hydraulic cylinders. Thus, this universal joint can rotate about all three axes. Also, the rear wheels 24 of the trailer are mounted so that these can be raised or lowered individually or together.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,742 (Gearhart), shows an articulated roll-off trailer that is provided with a hinge so that it may bend in the middle, in an upward direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,713 (Kovach), shows a boat trailer that has an upper boat carrying a section 18, and a lower wheeled frame 19, that are pivoted in the tongue area. The boat carrying section remains level at the water""s surface as the wheeled section follows the contours of the bank, or launching ramp.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,153 (Wilson), shows a trailer that is pivoted for easier loading. It may be backed along a bank or launching ramp, and tilted so the boat or other cargo slides or rolls off.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,185 (Waley), shows a boat trailer in which the wheel carrying frame is pivoted on the frame section on which the boat is mounted on. The wheel section follows the contours of the bank or the launch ramp, while the boat carrying part floats and is well oriented to load the boat.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,367 (Cox), shows a boat trailer with pivoted boat supporting elements that accommodate the contour of the boat bottom.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,677 (Moss) provides a boat trailer with wheels that can be adjusted relative to the trailer frame to accommodate the loading and unloading, on various bottom contours.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,608,754 (Park), shows a boat trailer in which the hitch and wheels are on a frame and a sub frame is pivoted at one end and supporting the boat at the other end. The sub frame supports the boat""s stern and aligns it as it floats on or off the trailer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,667 (Calkins), shows a boat trailer on which the boat support pivots and aligns with the boat as it is moved in or out of the water, while the wheeled sections are on a tilted bottom.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,155,249 (Johnson), shows a trailer that is provided with pivoting hull support elements.
The apparatus and method of the present invention is designed to launch boats into the water, and also retrieve boats out of the water in a particularly effective way. Also, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus is designed to be used in a manner so that the apparatus can be maneuvered effectively over a ground surface for better utilization of land space in a marina or the like.
The apparatus of the present invention comprises a main support frame having a longitudinal axis, a transverse axis, a front end and a rear end. The main support frame comprises a forward main frame section and a rear main frame section. The forward and rear main frame sections are pivotally connected to one another about a pivot location, so as to be able to be rotated relative to one another between an upper pivot configuration of the main support frame, with the pivot location at a higher elevation, and a lower pivot configuration of the main support frame with the pivot location at a lower elevation.
The forward and rear main frame section are arranged as right and left main frame side portions. Each of the main frame side portions comprises a forward and a rear main frame side portion, and right and left main frame side portions define therebetween a boat receiving region. This boat receiving region comprises a rear entry portion, a rear boat receiving region portion that is located between the right and left main frame rear side portions, and a forward boat receiving region portion located between the right and left forward main frame side portions.
There is a rear wheeled support section which is connected to the rear main frame section. This rear wheeled support section is moveable between upper and lower configurations relative to the main rear frame section. There is also a forward support section connected to the forward main frame section.
The apparatus is arranged so that with the apparatus in an operating position in a body of water, the rear main frame section is able to be located at a first lower ground elevation in the body of water, with the rear support section in its upper configuration and the main support frame in its lower pivot configuration. By lowering the rear support section, the rear main frame section is then at a higher ground elevation in a body of water.
In an embodiment shown herein, each of the main frame side portions has its own pivot connection between its related main frame side portion and main frame rear side portion.
More specifically, each of the rear main frame side portions can rotate independently from one another about its related pivot connection relative to its forward main frame side portion. Also, in this embodiment, the front and rear main frame side portions of each main frame side portion has a related actuator to move the rear main frame portion relative to its related forward main frame side portion.
In this embodiment, the rear wheeled support section comprises left and right wheeled rear support portions, each of which has a wheel portion and a related actuator to raise or lower the wheel portion.
Also, in the configuration shown herein the forward main frame section has a front end frame portion connected between forward end portions of the forward main frame side portions. At the forward support section there is a steerable wheel section. The steerable wheel section comprises in a preferred form at least two steerable wheels spaced laterally from one another with each steerable wheel having its own steering axis about which each steerable wheel can be rotated through various steering positions. Also, there is an operating station at the forward location of the forward main frame section by which an operator can control operation of the apparatus.
In a second embodiment of the present invention, the forward support section comprises a connection component adapted to be connected to a towing apparatus to move the transport apparatus.
In a preferred arrangement, the rear wheeled support section is arranged to provide ground support at a support location at a rear portion of the rear main frame section.
The rear support section has a rear ground engaging support location and the forward support section has a forward support location by which the forward main frame section is supported from a ground surface. The pivot location is located at a pivot location spacing distance between about one third to three quarters of a distance from said rear ground engaging support location to the forward support location. Within narrower limits, the pivot location spacing distance is no greater than about two thirds of the distance from the rear ground engaging support location to said forward support location. With yet narrower limits, the pivot location is between about two fifths to three fifths of the distance from the rear ground engaging support location to the forward support location. As an approximation, the pivot location is about one half the distance from the rear ground engaging support location to the forward support location.
The two rear main frame side portions each have a longitudinally extending boat engaging support portion. Each of the support portions comprises a longitudinally extending inflatable bunker to provide support for a boat being positioned thereon.
The apparatus is desirably arranged in size so as to be able to support a boat of a smaller length dimension, and also a boat up to a larger maximum length dimension extending into the forward boat receiving portion. The rear main frame section is configured and has a length such that a boat of the maximum length dimension being carried by the apparatus has a center of gravity which, when the boat is positioned on the apparatus, is behind the pivot location. Thus at least a substantial portion of the weight of the boat is supported by the inflatable bunkers.
The apparatus is arranged so that rear main frame section is able to support at least a substantial portion of weight of a boat having a lengthwise dimension at least as great as or greater than a lengthwise dimension of the rear main frame section so that when the boat is carried by the apparatus, a forward end portion of the boat extends into the forward boat receiving region portion. The right and left rear main frame side portions have longitudinally extending support surface portions which engage the boat and which are positioned in a boat support reference plane. The apparatus has a ground support reference plane which is defined at a rear support location by a rear ground support location of the rear support section and at the forward end of the apparatus by a forward ground support location of the forward support section. The apparatus is arranged so that with the rear support section in its lower configuration, and with the main support frame being in its lower pivot configuration, the boat support reference plane has a downward and forward slant relative to the ground reference plane.
Also, the apparatus is arranged so that with the rear support section being in its upper configuration and the main support frame being in its lower pivot configuration the downward and forward slope relative to the ground support reference plane is between about 2xc2x0 to 12xc2x0.
Also, the apparatus is arranged so that with the rear support section being in its lower configuration and the main support frame being in its lower pivot configuration, the boat support plane of the apparatus has a forward and downward slope relative to the support reference plane. Also, the apparatus is arranged so that with the rear support section in its upper configuration and the main support frame being in its lower pivot configuration the boat support reference plane of the apparatus has a forward and downward slope relative to the ground support reference plane at an angle between about 0xc2x0 to 10xc2x0. Further, the apparatus is arranged so that with the support section being in its upper configuration and the main support frame being in its upper pivot configuration, the boat support reference plane of the apparatus does not have a forward and downward slope relative to the ground support reference plane, and desirably has a forward and upward slope relative to the ground support reference plane.
Also, in a preferred form, the apparatus is arranged so that with the rear support section being in its lower configuration and the main support frame being in its upper pivot configuration the boat support reference plane of the apparatus is approximately parallel to the ground support reference plane, and desirably between 4xc2x0 in an upward forward slant and 4xc2x0 in an upward and rearward slant.
In the method of the present invention, the apparatus is provided as indicated above, and when operating as an apparatus to remove the boat from the body of water, the boat is located in the body of water over the rear main frame section with the rear support section in its upper configuration and the main support frame section in its lower pivot configuration. Then the rear support section is lowered to raise the rear main frame section to a higher elevation to raise the boat in the body of water. Then the apparatus is moved to carry the boat in a direction from the body of water.
Also in the method of the present invention, the boat can be launched from a land location into the body of water, and this is accomplished in substantially the reverse order of the method of retrieving the boat from the body of water. More specifically, the boat is located on the apparatus, and the apparatus is moved into the body of water. Then the rear main frame section is located at a lower ground elevation in the body of water, with the rear support section in its upper configuration and the main support frame in its lower pivot configuration so that the boat is substantially supported by a flotation force of the water.